What does it mean to ‘vacate’ right of way?

The in basket: Sam Watland read the recent Road Warrior column
about Kitsap County turning the dead end of Hawthorne Avenue in
Gorst over to the adjacent property owners through a process
called “vacating” it and asked some questions.

“Who now owns the property in question?” he asked. “What does it
mean for the county to ‘vacate’ the property? Was it sold to
someone or now does it belong to the state? If no one owns it then
isn’t it considered public property?”

The out basket: Molly Foster, right-of-way supervisor for Kitsap
County Public Works, says, “The County initiated this road vacation
to release public liability and any question of maintenance for
this area, which is only a portion of the roadway. Per RCW
36.87.010, the county commissioners can declare its intention to
vacate a right of way and did approve the vacation on March 19,
2015.

“This right of way did not connect to Highway 3 and the adjacent
owners, H.D. Fowler and Robert Mathwig, were both contacted. They
both supported the vacation and acknowledged they would regain part
of this area as their private property.

“When the County ‘vacates’ right of way, it simply releases the
easement for road use lifting the public’s interest off the area
and it reverts back to its origin which in this case was split
between the two adjacent owners.

“There was no compensation recommended back to the county
because the county initiated the action. A sale of county-owned
land is an entirely separate process and action.